Phare de Pen Lan, Maritime navigation lighthouse in Billiers, France

The Phare de Pen Lan is a square lighthouse at the mouth of the Vilaine on the Pen Lan point in Billiers, Morbihan. Its shaft is painted in horizontal red and white bands, with the name "PENLAN" in white capitals on a wide red band below the red gallery and cylindrical lantern room. Two small rectangular windows sit one above the other in the middle bands.

The lighthouse was built in 1882 at the tip of the Penlan headland, at the mouth of the Vilaine in Billiers. Its fuel was vegetable oil in 1839, shifting to mineral oil around 1875. It was electrified in May 1955 and automated in 1995, since when it has been remotely controlled from the Phare de Goulphar on Belle-Île-en-Mer and is no longer inhabited.

The name Penlan comes from the Breton point of Pen Lan where the lighthouse stands at the mouth of the Vilaine. The tower carries the word "PENLAN" in white capitals on a red band, and its light shows white, red and green sectors: sailors must enter by the white sector. Since 1995 it has been automated and remotely controlled from the Phare de Goulphar on Belle-Île-en-Mer, so no keeper lives there.

The lighthouse can be reached by walking along coastal paths from Billiers town center, with parking available near the viewing area. Plan to dress for windy coastal conditions and wear sturdy footwear suitable for rocky terrain.

The light is coded Oc (2) WRG 6s on SHOM chart 7033: two occultations every six seconds, white sector 15 nautical miles, red and green 11. Its elevation of 26 metres lets sailors calculate distance with a sextant. Approaching vessels must keep to the white sector.